While LaPierre's solution to having an armed policeman at every school is pretty crazy, his comments about the media, video games and mental health have some validity in my opinion.
I don't believe we truly need hand guns, let alone assault weapons, multiple round chambers, flak jackets, etc. If you want to hunt, I have no issue with you owning hunting rifles as long as there are strict background checks including evaluation of family members living at the primary residence. I think most people are not comfortable with the fact that you can walk into a Wal Mart and walk out with a gun and ammo legally or that you are able to own a weapon capable of firing 32 rounds in seconds.
His comments about the media sensationalizing these events is accurate, however I don't see a solution to that problem. I do think there is a need to start evaluating video games - they are so damned realistic and there are many first person shooters to choose from with a wide spectrum of people playing from all age groups. Again, not sure that is controllable.
LaPierre mentioned the state of mental health help in the US and that is controllable. There needs to be more focus on the quality of help that is available to mentally ill adults through increased access to mental health professionals via insurance, improved mental health evaluations and better mental health training for professionals. We currently seem to just throw drugs at mental health problems and expect everything to work out. LaPierre probably wants to create more "facilities" in order to jail the mentally ill, but his basic point that there needs to be more focus on the issue is accurate.
There are two issues in all of this that are controllable - gun control and an improvement in mental health evaluations and treatments. Gun advocates tell us that you can't control guns and criminals will have guns even with stringent gun laws, but if you make the laws strict enough for owning an illegal weapon, there will be a reduction in illegal gun ownership. Ask Plaxico Burress if he is packing now. Also, are the "criminals" really the ones involved in the mass killings and violence or is it the mentally ill akward teenager or the jilted lover or the disgruntled employee or anyone that reaches a mental tipping point. The mentally ill or unstable need mental health avenues in order to get over issues and learn to live with themselves and within society. We are all capable of violence, but I would like to think we could lessen violent events with some practical changes that don't involve having a cop at every school, work, event, etc.
JB
